Program Now Full! Read on to be added to the waitlist in case of registration shifts.

Want to make a commitment to yourself ( and your closet) while creating a  locally grown garment and growing your community?

This program takes a leap from our extended Blue Nettle program of 2023, having learned the great value of committing to gathering monthly, and also that making things through our relationships to the land and plants take time!

So for a garment- we are going the distance and blocking time out all the way into Spring 2025.

Join Sharon Kallis for this   long-distance marathon of a Soil to Skin journey.

9 Saturdays 10am-4.30pm Trillium Park 

April 6. May 4, June 1, July 6 & 20, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 16 2024 and  Feb 1, Mar 2, 2025

and Online 10am-12noon Dec 7, Jan 11 2025 – 2 virtual check in  and work sessions

This is a special opportunity to be a part of a small cohort of fibre folk for extended, collective learning and making towards personal garments made from the land. What will you make?

Over 12 months we will share  in the local fibre bounty and encourage each other in our processing and making.

Beyond our studio days, participating individuals share in the labour of  stewarding the textile  gardens and    share skills at our community events. 

We will start off grading and washing  fleeces from the Barnston Island flock for distribution, have access to drum carders and hand carders during group times and have  access to  a good amount of  local flax straw grown in Richmond in 2023 for processing with EartHand equipment and personal spinning.

Seasonally, expect moments for flax sowing, harvesting and retting, exploring local wild fibre tangents of fireweed and milkweed fluff as well as fireweed and nettle fibres for processing and spinning.  Dye plants will include coreopsis, scabiosa, madder, weld and so much more! Our 3  beautiful fleece from the Barnston island flock   total 18+ pounds of raw wool.

white fleece  from Daisy, CVM

 grey fleece from Popcorn, Gotland x (CVM x Gotland)

black fleece from Mocha Rose, Gotland x BFL 

Dye sessions will allow the group to collectively mordant and dye personal wool and linen fibres bringing gorgeous local colour into our fibre palette.

Studio sessions will include

•  time for processing flax in preparation for personal spinning, 
• washing, mordanting and dying fleece, 
• use of earthand drum carders and other processing equipment for personal wool  and flax processing
• drop spindling refreshers- note this is not a spinning class, we will go over basics but if you have never spun before you may wish to seek other instruction outside of studio sessions to build this skill
• exploration of simple frame weaving options
• technical, creative and emotional support for planning your project and seeing it  through to completion!

 Beyond spinning tutorials, there will be lots of time for collective sharing of ideas. Peer support for techniques of weaving, crocheting or knitting will be encouraged  as individuals plan their own projects and share skills within the group. Expect copious amounts of herbal tea from the garden, bring your own lunch.

Our Community Contract

Recognizing that slow clothing is about being in relationship with the land, plants, animals and others that support our clothing self-sufficiency  in various ways, the goals of this program include not just learning for ourselves, but taking care of the places that are connected to the EartHand fibreshed, and helping pass along the skills we are ourselves developing.

Stewardship:

Beyond our shared studio sessions at the Trillium  outdoor workspace, individuals also agree to  participate in the work of tending the gardens by attending a minimum of 12 garden stewardship sessions over the year (from April to October these happen on Tuesday evenings at Trillium, or Wednesday evenings at MOP) .

There are other stewarding sessions that take place and all members will have access to the slack communication channel where garden sessions are announced.

With a wide variety of jobs always to be done Sharon will work with participants to address any accessibility or participation considerations or concerns.  Note the Means of Production site is a terraced steep hill but the dye plants grow on the top beds just off the sidewalk.

Sliding scale range from $500 to $725 read on for description of options and for registration- please fill in this form and you will be contacted to complete your registration- note cohort space is limited to 12.

Skill Share

Help us spread the love for all things local fibre!

In addition to garden sessions, we ask that you commit to volunteering at between 1 to 5  public events depending on the  sliding scale ticket you choose.

 Events dates confirmed so far include:

•  May Day Mend ( Wed May 1 4 to 8 pm at Renfrew Ravine) in collaboration with Still Moon Arts Society
• Trillium Open Studio Sessions 5.30-8.30pm, May 6, June 3, July 8
• Heart of the City Festival Mending Threads ( Sat Nov 2 12 noon-3pm at Trillium)
• Space in this program allows a maximum of 12 individuals

Space in this program allows a maximum of 12 individuals

Sliding Scale  Share Purchase:

$725 assist with  12 garden sessions  and 5 hours of event skill share support

$650  assist with 12 garden sessions  and 10 hours of event skill share support

$575 assist with 12 garden sessions  and 15 hours of event skill share support

$ 500 assist with 12 garden sessions  and 20 hours of event skill share support

For registration- please fill in this form and you will be contacted to complete your registration- note cohort space is limited to 12.

Staggered Payment Options and Refund Policy: 

 We know this is a steep cost relative to our shorter term programs, so to ease the financial crunch of registering we are offering that payments can be split into a max of 3 monthly payments, fees must be paid in full by April 2 and are non refundable once the program begins.

 If life-shifts require you drop out early in the program before  fibres are divided up, we can help publicize you have a share for sale for someone to take your place.